My thoughts on the Phillies season.

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The Phils came back from behind, only to lose the game in the bottom of the ninth, as they lose to the Marlins in walk-off fashion, 4-3.

The Marlins broke up a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the sixth as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Giancarlo Stanton hits an RBI single, knocking in Ed Lucas, who had just doubled, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead. The Marlin increased their lead in the bottom of the seventh as, with one man on, and with two men out, Marcell Ozuna hits a two-run home run, his eighth home run of the season, knocking in Jeff Baker, who had started the inning off with a single, giving the Marlins a 3-0 lead. The Phils got a run back in the top of the eighth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stopped at third base on Chase Utley’s double, making it a 3-1 Marlins’ lead. The Phils then tied the game up at three-all as Marlon Byrd hits a two-run home run, his sixth home run of the year, knocking in Utley. The Marlins won the game in the bottom of the ninth as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Ozuna and Jeff Mathis, sending Ozuna up to second base, and an infield single by pitch-hitter Reed Johnson, moving up both runners, and with two men out, Christian Yelich hits an RBI single, knocking in Ozuna, for the walk-off win.

Cole Hamels received a no-decision as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk, striking out six. Mike Adams pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out two. Jake Diekman (2-2, 4.18) took the lost as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on four hits. Henderson Alvarez also received a no-decision as he went seven scoreless innings, giving up four hits and two walks, while striking out three. A.J. Ramos received his fifth hold of the season as he pitched a third of an inning, giving up a run on a walk. Mike Dunn received his first blown save of the season as he went two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on three hits, while striking out a batter. Steve Cishek (4-1, 1.96) got the win as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out two.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Chase Utley leading the team with two hits, a single and a double. Jimmy Rollins (Single, placing himself as number two on the Phils’ all-time hit list with 2118 hits), Wil Nieves (Single), Marlon Byrd (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Cody Asche (Single), Ben Revere (Single) and Cole Hamels (Single), had the other six Phils’ hits, while the Phil’s final run came in on Ryan Howard’s sacrifice fly. The Phils also had three walks (Rollins (2), Howard) and a sacrifice bunt (Tony Gwynn, Jr.) in the ballgame, while the defense performed a double play.

The Phils (20-24, 5th NL East) will start a three-game series at home with the Dodgers (25-23, 3rd West). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Roberto Hernandez (2-1, 3.98) who last pitch a scoreless inning of relief against the Reds on May 16, as he gave up a hit and a walk, while striking out a batter, in the Phils’ 3-0 lost. He will be out to put a stop to the Phils’ present losing streak. The Dodgers will counter with Clayton Kershaw (2-1, 4.43), who is coming off a lost to the Diamondbacks on May 17, as he pitched just one and two-thirds innings, giving up seven runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out three, in the Dodgers’ 18-7 lost. He will be trying to get back on the winning track. The Phils will be trying to continue their present winning streak at home.

The Phils’ offense is let down by the pitching as they lose their opening day game with their NL East rival, the Braves, 7-5.

The Braves took the lead in the bottom of the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Freddie Freeman hits a two-run bomb to right field, his first home run of the season, knocking in Jason Heyward, who had earlier walked, giving the Braves a 2-0 lead. The Braves added to their lead in the second as Dan Uggla started off the bottom of the second with a solo home run, his first home run of the season, giving the Braves a 3-0 lead. The Braves then made it a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Freeman hits an RBI single, scoring Andrleton Simmons, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on Justin Upton’s fly out to right. The Phils then got on the board in the top of the fourth as Chase Utley started the inning off with a solo shot to straight center field, his first home run of the season, and the 200th home run of his career, cutting the Braves’ lead to 4-1. The Phils would make it a 4-3 Braves’ lead in the top of the fifth as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Cole Hamels, a walk by Ben Revere, moving Hamels up to second base, and a single by Jimmy Rollins, sending Hamels on to third base and Revere up to second base, and with one man out, Utley hits a two-run single, knocking in Hamels and Revere, while sending Rollins on to third base, beating the throw, before moving up to second base on the throw. After Braves’ manager Freddie Gonzalez replaces starter Tim Hudson with Luis Avilan, Avilan stops the damage by first striking out Ryan Howard for the inning’s second out, and after intentionally walking Michael Young to reload the bases, gets Dom Brown to ground out softly, 4-3, for the inning’s final out. The Braves would get a run back in their half of the fifth as, with one man out, Upton hits a solo home run, his first home run of the season, giving the Braves a 5-3 lead. The Braves increased their lead in bottom of the sixth as, with runners on second and third, and with nobody out, Gerald Laird hits an RBI single, knocking in Uggla, who had started the inning off with a walk, then stopped at third base on Chris Johnson’s double, giving the Braves a 6-3 lead, while sending Johnson, who had just singled, on to third base. The Braves then took a 7-3 lead as pinch-hitter Reed Johnson hits into a 1-6-3 double play, wiping out Laird at second base for the inning’s first out, scoring C. Johnson, who beat Howard’s wide and late throw to the plate. The Phils got one run back in the top of the seventh as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Howard hits an RBI ground out, three-unassisted, knocking in Utley, who had just tripled, making it a 7-4 Braves’ lead. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead down to 7-5 in the top of the eighth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Erik Kratz hits an RBI single, knocking in John Mayberry, Jr., who had earlier doubled, then moved up to third on Jordan Walden’s wild pitch. That would be the final score as Craig Kimbrel would come in and collect his first save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, getting Howard to fly out for the game’s final out.

Cole Hamels (0-1, 9.00) took the lost as he went five innings, giving up five runs on seven hits and a walk, while striking out five. Chad Durbin pitched to three batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. Jeremy Horst pitched two innings, as he gave up a hit, while striking out two. Philippe Aumont pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a walk, while striking out a batter. Tim Hudson received a no-decision as he went four and a third-innings, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out a batter. Luis Avilan (0-1, 0.00) picked up the win as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up an intentional walk, while striking out a batter. Eric O’Flaherty pitched an inning, giving up a run on a hit. Jordan Walden recorded his first hold of the year as he threw an inning, giving up a run on two hits and a wild pitch, while striking out a batter. Craig Kimbrel recorded his first save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out a batter.

The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Chase Utley (Single, Triple, Home Run, 3 RBIs) leading the team with three hits, being a double short of hitting the cycle. Ben Revere (Single), Jimmy Rollins (Single), Dom Brown (Single), John Mayberry, Jr. (Double), Erik Kratz (Single, RBI) and Cole Hamels (Single) had the other seven Phils’ hits. Ryan Howard knocked in the final Phil’s run with a ground out. The Phils also had a four walks (Revere, Young (2), Brown) and a stolen base (Revere (1)) in the ballgame.

The Phils (0-1, T-4th) will continue their three games series with the Braves (1-0, T-1st) with a night game tomorrow night at Turner Field. The game is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Roy Halladay (0-0, -.–) who is coming off a bad 2012, and a so-so spring. Halladay and the Phils both hope that he’ll rebound from last season. The Braves will counter with Paul Malholm (0-0, -.–) who is coming off a so-so 2012 season between the Cubs and the Braves. He hopes to pitch better this season. The Phils will be trying to even up the series, while hoping that the old Doc will return.

The Phils drop a pair to the Braves, losing 8-2 and 2-1, as their playoff hopes grow dim with nine games left to play.

On Saturday, the Braves took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with two men out, Freddie Freeman hits a three-run home run, his twenty-first home run of the season, knocking in Jason Heyward, who was safe at first on a force out, 5-4, wiping out at second base Martin Prado, who had earlier singled, then stopped at second base on Chipper Jones’ single, and Jones, who had just singled, giving the Braves a 3-0 lead. The Braves added to their lead in the second as, with the bases loaded, via a lead-off walk by Brian McCann, a single by Michael Bourn, with McCann stopping at second base, and a walk by Prado, with both runners moving up a base, and with two men out, Heyward hits a bases-clearing double, knocking in McCann, Bourn and Prado, giving the Braves a 6-0 lead. The Braves then took a 7-0 lead as Jones hits an RBI double, scoring Heyward. The Phils got a run back in the third as, with a man on third, and with nobody out, pinch-hitter Darin Ruf hits a sacrifice fly, his first career RBI, scoring Kevin Frandsen, who had started the inning off with a triple, making it a 7-1 Braves’ lead. The Phils then cut the Braves’ lead down to 7-2 in the fourth as, with one man out, Ryan Howard hits a solo home run, his fourteenth home run of the season, his fourth in four straight games, and the 300th of his career. The Braves got a run back in the eighth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Heyward hits an RBI single, knocking in Bourn, who had started the inning off with a double, then stopped at third base on a Prado ground out, 1-3, giving the Braves an 8-2 lead. That would end up being the final score as Eric O’Flaherty pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Roy Halladay (10-8, 4.40) took the lost as he lasted only one and two-thirds innings, giving up seven runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out only three. Jeremy Horst pitched one and a third innings, giving up a hit, while striking out four. B.J. Rosenberg, Jake Diekman and Josh Lindblom combined for four scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Rosenberg) and five walks (Rosenberg (1), Diekman (4)) between them, while striking out three (Rosenberg (1), Diekman (2)). Justin De Fratus pitched an inning, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out a batter. Phillippe Aumont threw a 1-2-3 inning. Mike Minor (10-10, 4.27) got the win as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batter, while striking out six. Chad Durbin, Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty combined for three scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Durbin) and a walk (Durbin) between them.

The Phils only had three hits in the game, a triple by Kevin Frandsen, a home run by Ryan Howard (RBI) and a single by Carlos Ruiz, as the offense was kept under control by the Braves’ pitching staff. The other Phil run came in on Darin Ruf’s sacrifice fly. The Phils also has two walks and a hit batter (Juan Pierre) in the game.

In yesterday’s game, the Braves took a quick 1-0 lead in the second as, with one man out, David Ross hits a solo home run, his eighth home run of the season. The Braves added to their lead in the third as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Reed Johnson and Prado, with Johnson stopping at second base, a throwing error by pitching Cliff Lee on a grounder hit by Heyward, allowing Johnson to reach third base and Prado to stop at second base, as Heyward was safe at first, and with one man out, Dan Uggla hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Johnson, making it a 2-0 Braves’ lead, while both runners would move up a base. The Phils would finally get on the scoreboard in the sixth as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Chase Utley hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had started the inning off with a walk, moving up to second base on pitcher Tim Hudson’s pickoff attempt throwing error, then went to third base on Juan Pierre’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3, making it a 2-1 Braves’ lead. That would end up being the final score as Craig Kimbrel picked up his thirty-ninth save of the year by pitching a 1-2-3 ninth.

Cliff Lee (6-8, 3.18) took the lost as he pitched eight innings, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on nine hits, as he struck out eleven. Jonathan Papelbon pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Tim Hudson (16-6, 3.61) got the win as he went seven and a third innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits, a walk and a hit batter, while he struck out four. Eric O’Flahetry picked up his twenty-seventh hold of the season as he threw two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men whom he would face. Craig Kimbrel collected his thirty-ninth save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out a batter.

The Phils had only two hits in the game, singles by John Mayberry, Jr. and Kevin Frandsen, as the offense was stymied for the second straight game. The Phils only RBI came in on a Chase Utley sacrifice fly. The Phils also had a walk and a hit batter (Utley) in the ballgame.

Cole Hamels five-hit the Braves as the Phils finally end their losing streak with Atlanta, winning 3-0.

The Phils took a quick 1-0 lead in the first as Dom Brown hits an RBI double, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had started the inning off with a double. Two batters later, with Brown still on second base, and now with one man out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run home run, his fifth home run of the season, knocking in Brown, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. That would turn out to be more than enough for Cole Hamels, as he threw a complete game shutout, the fifth of his career, allowing only five hits, all singles, to the Braves: a lead-off single to Chipper Jones in the second, who is, two batters latter, wiped out at second base for the inning’s second out, on a 4-6-3 doubleplay ball hit by Brian McCann; a two-out single in the fifth by McCann, who is thrown out at second base, 8-4, trying to stretch it into a double, by a strong throw by left fielder Brown as second baseman Chase Utley applies the tag; a lead-off bunt single in the seventh by Michael Bourn, who is then left stranded at first base; a lead-off single in the eighth by Freddie Freeman , who is, two batters later, wiped out at second base for the inning’s second out, on a 6-4-3 doubleplay ball hit by Reed Johnson and a one-out single in the ninth by pinch hitter Tyler Pastornicky, before Hamels ended the game two batters later by getting Martin Prado to ground out, 6-3, for the final out.

Cole Hamels (12-6, 3.14) got the win, his first since signing his new contract, as he threw a complete game shutout, giving up just five hits, which striking out six. Mike Minor (6-8, 4.95) took the lost as he pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five. Luis Avilan and Cory Gearnin combined for a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter (Avilan).

The Phils had seven hits in the ballgame, with Erik Kratz (Single, Double) and Nate Schierholtz (Singles) both leading the club with two hits apiece. Jimmy Rollins (Double), Dom Brown (Double, RBI) and Ryan Howard (Home Run, 2 RBIs) had the other three Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walks in the game.

The Phils (50-60, T-4th) will conclude their series with the Braves (63-47, 2nd) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park, and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (4-9, 4.45), who is coming off a lost to the D-backs on August 3, after replacing Joe Blanton, who had been traded to the Dodgers, as he went four innings, giving up three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits, as he struck out two, in the Phils’ 4-2 lost. He will be trying to pitched the Phils to their third straight series win. The Braves plan to counter with their ace Tim Hudson (11-4, 3.45), who is coming off a win against the Astros on August 3, as he went seven and a third innings, giving up an unearned run on four hits and two walks, while striking out three, in the Braves’ 4-1 win. He will be going for his twelfth win of the season. The Phils will be going for the series win tonight.

The Phils hold off a Cubs’ rally in the ninth to win their fifth straight game, and their sixth in seven games, as they defeat the Cubs, 8-7.

The Phils took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with two men out, Carlos Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Jimmy Rollins, who had started the game off with a single, then moved up to second base on Juan Pierre’s slow ground out, 6-3, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Shane Victorino, who had earlier walked, up to second base. The Cubs would tie the game up at one-all in their half of the first as, with a man on third, and with one man out, Starlin Castro hits a sacrifice fly, scoring David DeJesus, who had started off the inning with a double, then moved up to third on Tony Campana’s sacrifice bunt, 1-3. The Phils retook the lead in the second as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Roy Halladay, a walk by Rollins, moving Halladay up to second base, and a single by Pierre, moving both runners up a base, and with one man out, Victorino hits an RBI ground out on a soft grounder to first, three-unassisted, scoring Halladay, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Rollins up to third base, and Pierre on to second base. The Phils then took a 4-1 lead as Hunter Pence hits a two-run single, scoring both Rollins and Pierre. The Phils then made it a 5-1 lead in the fifth as, with a man on third, and with nobody out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Pence, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third on Cubs’ pitcher Casey Coleman’s wild pitch. The Cubs got a run back in the seventh as Castro hits a lead-off home run, his second home run of the year, making it a 5-2 Phils’ lead. The Phils increased their lead in the eighth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Halladay, who had started the inning off with a single, moved up to second base on Rollins’ walk, then move over to third base on Cubs’ catcher Wellington Castillo’s passed ball, and Rollins, who had earlier walked, then moved to second base on Castillo’s passed ball, would both score on Cubs’ pitcher Blake Parker’s throwing error of Pence’s grounder back to the mound, giving the Phils a 7-2 lead, while Pence would end up on second base on the costly error. The Phils then took an 8-2 lead as Ruiz hits an RBI double, scoring Pence. The Cubs would get a run back in their half of the eighth as Castillo would hit a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season, cutting the Phils’ lead down to 8-3. The Cubs then made it an 8-6 Phils’ lead as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to lead-off man Campana, Campana moving up to second base on defensive indifference, a walk to pinch hitter Jeff Baker, and Ian Stewart being hit by a pitch, moving both men up a base, and with two men out, Castillo hits a three-run double, knocking in Campana, Baker and Stewart. The Cubs then cut the Phils’ lead down to 8-7 as Darwin Barney hits an RBI single, scoring Castillo. That would end up being the final score as Johnathan Papelbon recorded his eleventh save of the season by getting Reed Johnson to ground out, 5-3, for the game’s final out.

Roy Halladay (4-3, 3.22) got the win as he went eight innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, while striking out four. Jake Diekman pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up four runs on a hit, two walks, and a hit batter. Jonathan Papelbon recorded his eleventh save of the year as he went a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Chris Volsatd (0-6, 7.46) took the loss as he pitched just two innings, as he gave up four runs on six hits and three walks, while striking out just two batters. Casey Coleman pitched four innings, giving up a run on four hits, a wild pitch and a walk, while striking out two. Blake Parker pitched one and two-thirds innings, giving up three unearned runs on two hits and a passed ball, along with a very costly throwing error, while he struck out two. Michael Bowden pitched an inning and a third, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter.

The Phils had fourteen hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz (3 Singles, Double, 3 RBIs) leading the team with four hits, as he raised his average to .363. Juan Pierre (Singles), Hunter Pence (Single, Double, 2 RBIs) and Roy Halladay (Singles) followed with two hits apiece. Jimmy Rollins, Hector Luna, Freddy Galvis and pinch hitter Mike Fontenot had the other four Phils’ hit, all singles. Shane Victorino knocked in the final Phil RBI with a ground out, while the last two Phils’ runs came in on a two-base throwing error. The Phils also collected five walks in the game, along with two stolen bases as part of a double steal in the first inning by Victorino (12) and Ruiz (1).

The Phils (20-19, 5th National League East) will begin their first Interleague Play series with a night game tonight against the Red Sox (18-20, 5th American League East). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (5-1, 2.28), who is coming off a win against the Padres on May 13, as he threw seven strong innings, giving up a run on five hits and three walks, while striking out five, in the Phils’ 3-2 win. He will be going out to win his sixth start while trying to continue his early season dominance. The BoSox will counter with Daniel Bard (3-4, 4.30), who is coming off a win against the Indians on May 13, as he threw six strong innings, giving up a run on six hits and four walks, while striking out two, in the Red Sox’s 12-1 rout. He will be trying to start off the series for the Red Sox with a win. The Phils will be looking for their sixth straight victory since their fiasco series with the Mets.

The Phils’ offense’s fourth inning outburst supports a good pitching performance by Joe Blanton which leads to the Phils defeat of the Cubs, 5-2.

The Cubs took the lead in the first as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Bryan LaHair hits an RBI double, knocking in Starlin Castro, who had earlier singled, then stole second base, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead. The Phils took the lead in the fourth as, with the bases loaded, via a double by Hunter Pence, a Jim Thome walk, then a force out by Shane Victorino, 4-6, as Thome is wiped out at second base for the inning’s first out, while Pence would move up to third, then Victorino would steal second base, and a Laynce Nix walk, and with one man out, Carlos Ruiz hits a two-run single, knocking in Pence and Victorino, giving the Phils a 2-1 lead, while sending Nix up to second base. The Phils three batters later took a 4-1 lead as they reloaded the bases via a walk to Joe Blanton, moving up both runners, and now with two men out, Jimmy Rollins hits a two-run double, knocking in Nix and Ruiz, while sending Blanton on to third base. The Phils then took a 5-1 lead in the sixth as Ruiz hits a lead-off home run, his third home run of the year. The Cubs got a run back in the eighth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Castro hits an RBI forced out, 4-6, knocking in pinch hitter Tony Campana, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on Blanton’s wild pitch, before stopping at third base on Darwin Barney’s single, as Barney, who had just singled, is wiped out at second base for the inning’s second out. That would end up being the final score as Jonathan Papelbon recorded his seventh save of the season as he threw a 1-2-3 inning, with Reed Johnson ending the game by trying to bunt himself on base which instead became a 1-3 out.

Joe Blanton (2-3, 3.81) got the win as he went seven and a third innings, giving up two runs on eight scattered hits and a wild pitch, as he struck out eight. Chad Qualls collected his fifth hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, striking out a batter. Jonathan Papelbon received his seventh save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two batters. Randy Wells (0-1, 6.23) took the lost as he went only three and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on three hits, four walks and a hit batter, while he struck out three. Michael Bowden pitched two and a third innings, giving up a run on two hits, as he struck out three. Shawn Camp and Scott Maine combined for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Camp), while striking out three (Camp (1), Maine (2)) between them.

The Phils had only six hits in the ballgame, with Carlos Ruiz (Single, Home Run, 3 RBIs) leading the ballclub with two hits. Jimmy Rollins (Double, 2 RBIs), Hunter Pence (Double), Ty Wigginton (Single) and Shane Victorino (Double), had the other four Phils’ hits. The Phils also had four walks and a stolen base (Victorino (7)) in the game.

The Phils (10-11, 4th East) will continue their series with the Cubs (7-14, 6th Central) with an afternoon game later today. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and is to start at 1:35 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Kyle Kendrick (0-1, 9.39), who is coming off an awful start against the D-backs on April 23, as he pitched only three innings plus, as he gave up seven runs on eleven hits and a walk, while he struck out only one batter, in the Phils’ 9-5 lost. He will be out to recover from that fiasco. The Cubs will counter with Matt Garza (1-1, 3.38), who is coming off a no-decision against the Cardinals on April 23, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks, as he struck out five, in the Cubs’ 3-2 walk-off win. He will be trying for his second win of the year. The Phils will be out to even up their record.

The Phils’ offense return to hibernation as they drop the series opener to the Cubs, 5-1.

The Cubs took the lead in the fourth as, with a man on second, and with one man out, Starlin Castro hits an RBI bloop single to center, scoring Tony Campana, who had earlier reached base with a bunt single, then stole second base, giving the Cubs a 1-0 lead. The Cubs added to their lead in the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Alfonso Soriano hits an RBI single, knocking in Campana, who had earlier singled, then stopped at third base on Bryan LaHair’s single, giving the Cubs a 2-0 lead, while sending LaHair, who had just singled, on to second base. The Cubs then took a 3-0 lead as Ian Stewart hits an RBI double, scoring LaHair, while sending Soriano over to third base. The Phils would finally get on the scoreboard in the seventh as, with one man out, Ty Wigginton hits a solo home run, his second home run of the year, making it 3-1 Cubs’ lead. The Cubs would get the run back in the ninth as, with a man on first, and with two men out, Reed Johnson hits an RBI triple, knocking in Geovany Soto, who had just walked, giving the Cubs a 4-1 lead. The Cubs then made it a 5-1 lead as David DeJesus hits an RBI triple, scoring Johnson. That would be the final score as Rafael Dolis recorded his first save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, getting Carlos Ruiz to end the game by lining out to center.

Roy Halladay (3-2, 1.95) took the lost as he went seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out five. Antonio Bastardo pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk. Michael Schwimer pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk. Paul Maholm (2-2, 6.20) got the win by pitching six and a third innings, giving up a run on five hits, striking out a batter. James Russell got his first hold of the year as he pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two hits. Rafael Dolis pitched two scoreless innings, giving up a hit.

The Phils had eight hits in the game, with Placido Polanco (Singles) and Ty Wigginton (Single, Home Run, RBI) both leading the team with two hits each. Juan Pierre (Single), Carlos Ruiz (Double), Freddy Galvis (Single) and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr. (Single), had the other four Phils’ hits, as the offense went silent again, putting Roy Halladay out to dry in the process.

The Phils (9-11, 4th East) will continue their wraparound series with the Cubs (7-13, 6th Central). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm EDT. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (1-3, 4.34), who is coming off a lost against the Padres on May 22, as he went six innings, giving up six runs, only four of which were earned, on seven hits and two walks, while striking out two, in the Phils’ 6-1 lost. He will be trying to improve his record, while hoping that the offense will be able to give him some run support. The Cubs will counter with Randy Wells (0-0, 3.60), who is coming off a no-decision against the Reds on April 22, as he went five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and five walks, while he struck out just two batters, in the Cubs’ 4-3 win. He will be trying to continue the Phils’ offensive woes. The Phils will be trying to get back the hot bats that they had been using in Phoenix, as they go to tie up the series.

The Cubs took a quick 2-0 lead in the first as, with a runner on second and with nobody out, Stalin Castro hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the season, knocking in Reed Johnson, who had started off the Cubs’ half of the first with a lead-off double. After that, Cliff Lee would spend the next six innings dodging several bullets as he gave up six more hits, all but one of them hard hit, as he struck out six batters, while keeping the Cubs from scoring any more runs, while Cubs’ starter Matt Garza pitched seven innings, as he kept the Phils’ offense off-balanced all night, giving up three hits and walked three batters, while striking out five Phils. The Phils were finally able to get onto the scoreboard in the eighth as, with two men on, and with nobody out, Chase Utley hits a two-run double, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had started the inning off with a single, which led to Garza being taken out of the game, and being replaced by Sean Marshall, then stopping at second base as Michael Martinez greeted Marshall with a single, and Martinez, who has just singled, and just got home before the throw to the plate, tying the game up at two-all. The Phils then took the lead in the ninth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Martinez hits a two-run double, scoring pinch hitter Ben Francisco, who had earlier singled, then reached second base on an infield single by Rollins on a sharp grounder to third baseman Aramis Ramriez that bounced off his glove and went to shortstop Castro, and Rollins, who had just hit an infield single, giving the Phils a 4-2 lead, before he is thrown out trying to go to third on the throw home, 9-2-6-5, for the inning’s final out. That would be the final score as Antonio Bastardo collected his seventh save of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out the side.

Cliff Lee received a no-decision as he pitched six innings, giving up two runs on eight hits, as he struck out six. Michael Stutes (4-1, 3.24) got the win as he went two innings, giving up two hits while striking out one. Antonio Bastardo picked up his seventh save of the season as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out the side. Matt Garza also received a no-decision as he went seven innings plus a batter, giving up a run on four hits and three walks, while he struck out five. Sean Marshall committed his third blown save of the season, before taking the lost (5-4, 3.18), as he pitched two innings, giving up three runs on five hits, while he struck out three.

The Phils had nine hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins (Singles), Michael Martinez (Single, Double, 2 RBIs) and Dom Brown (Single, Double) led the team with two hits each. Chase Utley (Double, 2 RBIs), Carlos Ruiz (Single) and pinch hitter Ben Francisco (Single), had the other three Phils’ hits.

The Phils (60-36, 1st East) will conclude their series with the Cubs (39-59, 5th Central) with an afternoon game at Wrigley Field, which is about to start.

The Phils winning streak ends at ten games as Jamie Moyer and the bullpen give up ten runs as the Phils lose to the Cubs, 10-5.

The Cubs took the lead in the fourth, as with the bases loaded via singles to Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Milton Bradley, and with nobody out, Alfonso Soriano hits an RBI single, knocking in Lee, giving the Cubs a quick 1-0 lead, while moving both Ramirez and Bradley up a base. The Cubs then made it 3-0 as the next batter, Jeff Baker, hits a two-run double, scoring both Ramirez and Bradly, as Soriano went on to third base. On the play, Chase Utley committed a fielding error as he is unable to catch the throw into second base by Shane Victorino, which would allow Soriano to score, making it 4-0 Chicago, while Baker moved up to third. The Cubs would make it 5-0 in the fifth as, with two men on, and one man out, Bradley hits an RBI single, scoring Ryan Theriot, who had earlier singled and then stole second base. The Phils would get a run back in their half of the fifth as, with the bases loaded via singles to Pedro Feliz, Paul Bako and pinch hitter John Mayberry, Jr., and one man out, Victorino hits into a force out, 3-6, scoring Feliz from third base, making it a 5-1 Cubs’ lead, as Mayberry is wiped out at second, while Bako moved up to third, putting runners on the corners. The Phils would make it 5-3 in the sixth as, with two men on, and one man out, Feliz hits a two-run single, knocking in Ryan Howard, who had earlier singled, would move up to second on Jayson Werth’s single, before moving to third on Theriot’s throwing error, and Werth, who had earlier singled and had gone to second on Theriot’s error. The Cubs then increased their lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and nobody out, Ramirez hits a two-run double, scoring both Theriot and Lee, who had both walked, making it a 7-3 Cubs’ lead. Three batters later, after the Cubs had loaded the bases via a Bradley walk, and a Soriano singled, that had moved both Ramirez and Bradley up a base, pinch hitter Jake Fox hits a sacrifice fly for the inning’s first out, scoring Ramirez, making it an 8-3 Cubs’ lead. The Phils cut the lead to 8-5 in their half of the seventh, as, with the bases loaded via a single by Victorino, a walk to Howard and a single by Werth, and two outs, Greg Dobbs hits a two-run single, knocking in both Victorino and Howard, while sending Werth over to third. The Cubs added to their lead in the ninth as, with the bases loaded via Andres Blanco being hit by the pitch, a walk to Koyie Hill and a single to Kosuke Fukudome and one man out, Reed Johnson hits an RBI single, knocking in Blanco, making it a 9-5 Cubs’ lead, while sending Hill to third and Fukudome to second base. Two batters later, Lee made it a 10-5 lead with a bases loaded walk, forcing in Hill, while moving up a base both Fukudome and Johnson. That would be the final score as Kevin Gregg pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, recording his nineteenth save of the year.

Jamie Moyer took the lost, as he pitched just five innings, giving up five runs, only four of which were earned, on eight hits and three walks, while striking out three. His record is now 9-7 with a 5.65 ERA. Clay Condrey pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Chad Durbin pitched to five batters, getting none of them out, as he gave up three runs on two hits and three walks. Scott Eyre pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only a hit and a walk, as he struck out one. Brad Lidge pitched two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter, while he struck out two. Ryan Madson pitched a third of an inning, getting out the only man he would face. Carlos Zambrano picked up the win as he pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs, four of which were earned, on ten hits and three walks, while he struck out seven. His record is now 7-4 with a 3.48 ERA. Sean Marshall pitched to one batter, who got a hit. Angel Guzman recorded his ninth hold as he pitched a scoreless inning, giving up just a walk. Kevin Gregg recorded his ninteenth save as he pitched one and one-third scoreless innings, giving up just a walk, while he struck out one.

The Phils had eleven hits in the games. Shane Victornio, Jayson Werth, Greg Dobbs and Pedro Feliz each recorded two hits, with Ryan Howard, Paul Bako and John Mayberry, Jr. getting the other three Phillies’ hits. Dobbs and Feliz both knocked in two runs, while Victorino knocked in one. The Phils will now be trying to rebound as they prepare to build on their recent winning ways.

The Phillies (53-39, 1st National League East) will be playing a make up game with the Padres (37-58, 5th National League West). The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm tonight. The Phils will send to the mound Cole Hamels (5-5, 4.72), who is coming off a no-decision against the Marlins on July 17, where he went five innings, giving up a run on four hits and a walk, while he struck out two, in the Phils’ 6-5 extra-innings win. He will once again be going for his sixth win of the year, while trying to continue the dominance that he showed in his last start. The Padres will send to the mound Kevin Correia (6-7, 4.34), who is also coming off a no-decision against the Rockies on July 18, as he went six innings, giving up a run on three hits and four walks, while striking out two, in the Padres’ 3-1 win. He will be trying to even his record, while hoping to give the Phillies’ offense a bad time. The Phils will once again try to go over .500 at home, while at the same time try to continue their winning ways.

Behind the pitching of Jamie Moyer, Chad Durbin and Brad Lidge, and the Phillies’ offense, the Phillies would be able to leave Chicago with a split, 5-3. The Phillies would take the lead in the first inning as they went to work on Cubs’ starter Sean Marshall, who was pitching in place of the original starter, Carlos Zambrano, who would claim that he has a ‘dead’ arm. With a runner on second and two outs, Ryan Howard would hit a RBI single, scoring Chase Utley, who has gotten on base earlier with a walk, and then stole second, to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Two batters latter, Jayson Werth would hit a two-run double, scoring Howard, who has gone to second on Shane Victorino’s single, and Victorino, who has singled, to make it 3-0 Phillies. The Cubs would cut the Phillies’ lead in the second, when, with runners on the corners and one man out, Ronny Cedeno would hit a RBI single, scoring Mark DeRosa, who has earlier singled, would go to second on Geovany Soto’s single and then went to third on Kosuke Fukudome’s force out that would wipe out Soto at second, to make it 3-1 Phillies, while Fukudome would move over to second. The ball should’ve been caught by Victorino in left center field for the inning’s second out, but because there were no clouds overhead, Victorino would have a hard time trying to see the ball, before it would finally bounce off of his right thigh towards Pat Burrell, who would in turn be unable to catch it, as it dropped in for the RBI single. Marshall would then follow with an RBI single of his own, getting it past Utley, who has headed towards first because Marshall made it look like that he was going to put down a sacrifice bunt, scoring Fukudome, and sending Cedeno to second, making it 3-2 Phillies. Phillies’ starter Jamie Moyer would finally end the threat by getting both Alfonso Soriano and Reed Johnson to fly out. The Phillies would add to their lead in the fifth, as, with two men out, Werth would hit his twenty-first home run of the year to give the Phillies a 4-2 lead. The Phils would add their final run in the sixth, as, with a runner on third and one out, Jimmy Rollins would hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who has earlier reached base with a double and then went to third on Moyer’s sacrifice bunt, making it 5-2 Phils. The Cubs would threaten to rally in their half of the sixth as they put runners on first (Cedeno-walk) and second (Fukudome-single), with one out. Charlie Manuel would take out Moyer and replace him with Chad Durbin. Durbin would then proceed to get out of the inning by first striking out pinch hitter Ryan Theriot and then getting Soriano to pop out to second. In the eighth, after getting the inning’s first out, Durbin would give up a single to Soto. Manuel would come out and replace Durbin with the previous day’s hero, J.C. Romero. Romero would throw a wild pitch that would send Soto over to second. He would then get Fukudome to ground out, second to first, for the inning’s second out, while Soto would go on to third. Pinch hitter Henry Blanco would then get a pinch single, scoring Soto, cutting the Phillies’ lead to 5-3. Manuel would then come out again and replace Romero with Ryan Madson. Madson would then give up a pinch single to pinch hitter Daryle Ward to put runners on first and second. After Ward is replaced on first by pinch runner Mike Fontenot, Madson would end the inning by striking out Soriano. Brad Lidge would then come in to pitch the ninth, and would records his thirty-third save by pitching a 1-2-3 inning.

Jamie Moyer would get the win as he pitches five and a third innings, giving up only two earned runs on eight hits. His record is now 12-7 with a 3.80 ERA. Chad Durbin would pitch two innings, giving up an earned run on one hit. J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson would each pitch a third of an inning, giving up one hit each. Brad Lidge would pitch a scoreless ninth inning as he recorded his thirty-third save in thirty-three tries. Sean Marshall would get the lost as he pitches five and a third innings, giving up five earned runs on nine hits. His record is now 3-4 with a 4.03 ERA. Jeff Samardzija, Bob Howry and Neal Cotts would combine for three scoreless innings, giving up three hits (Howry (1) and Cott (2)).

The Phillies’ offense would this time score enough runs to win, as they split the four games series and win the season series with the Cubs, while getting twelve hits that would this time be more evenly spread around among the starting eight, with only Pedro Feliz getting the collar. Ryan Howard would lead the offense with three hits, two singles and a double, knocking in a run, while scoring one run. Shane Victornio, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth would follow with two hits each, each scoring a run, while Werth would knock in three of the Phillies’ other runs. Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson would all combine to get the Phillies through the eighth inning this time, giving up only one run to the Cubs before Brad Lidge would come in to shut the Cubs down in the ninth.

The Phillies (75-62) will now go on to Washington to start a three games series with the presently hot Nationals (52-85). The game will be played in Nationals Park and will begin at 3:05 pm Eastern. The Phillies’ starter will be Kyle Kendrick (11-7, 4.83), who is coming off a no-decision against the Mets on August 27, where he went five plus innings, giving up two earned runs on eight hits, in the Phillies’ 6-3 lost. Lifetime against the Nationals, he is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts. He will be trying once again for his twelfth win, while seeing if he can cool down the presently hot Nationals. The Nationals will counter with Tim Redding (9-8, 4.54), who is coming off a win against the Dodgers on August 27, where he went six innings, giving up only three earned runs on eight hits, in the Nats’ 5-4 win. He will be trying for his tenth win while seeing if he can defeat the Phillies once again this season.

The Phillies are still a game behind the Mets and five games ahead of the Mets as the Mets defeated the fish. The Phillies will be seeing if they can win the series in Washington and tie for the divisional lead in the East before their weekend series with the Mets in their last trip to Shea Stadium.

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